Family
by Lillystream
Summary: Bakugou and Momo were just supposed to be partnered for a regular, casual patrol. How did they end up adopting a kid together? This doesn't mean they're a family, right? A BakuMomo Kidfic y'all
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Soft white clouds rolled slowly, lazily across the sky, as Katsuki took in his surroundings, just as lackadaisical. Now that they were third years, Katsuki had been paired with Yaoyorozu on a training patrol with Aizawa. The class had been broken up into pairs of two and were each taking turns patrolling with the various teachers from UA. And… while it was a good thing the city was so peaceful… he was bored out of his goddamn mind.

He had no idea why he was with fucking Yaoyorozu of all people, on top of it, but he didn't really mind much. If it had to be anyone out of his shitty classmates, he was glad it was one of the least annoying people possible. Much better than stupid Deku or the shitty four eyes.

Katsuki just didn't understand why he was paired with someone who's quirk was _creating things_. He destroyed things. Obviously he'd worked with her before; they'd only been in the same class for three fucking years.

And boy had they improved over the years at UA. In their third year, the spots for the top three were rough competition. He and Todoroki were constantly fighting for third while Momo and Deku held second and first respectively.

No one had quite expected Momo to be in the top three, but he knew. She was got in UA on recommendation just like the hot cold bastard. She was number one in grades and was an excellent strategist. Her quirk was extremely versatile and useful in many different situations. Momo was an adaptable hero, which was great kind of hero to have. She'd made leaps and bounds in combat situations as well, learning to wield the kinds of weapons she could produce from her body. Katsuki knew from personal experience that her hand to hand combat skills were nothing to scoff at.

"Bakugou?" A soft voice interrupted his musings.

He spared a glance in her direction, acknowledging her concerned expression.

"What's up, Ponytail?"

"Are you alright? You've been spacing out since we left…"

"It's fine. Just bored."

Aizawa grunted behind them. "You shouldn't have that kind of attitude while out on a patrol, Bakugou. That'll get you in trouble."

"Yes, sir," Katsuki relented, knowing not to argue with his teacher of three years.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. People out walking dogs, going window shopping, entering and exiting cafes… just a normal, everyday kind of day. This was to be expected and it's what most heroes faced while doing regular patrols. It's what heroes _wanted_ to see on patrol. While Katsuki found the everyday happenings of their city beyond boring, he still wanted the citizens to have this kind of peace in their day to day lives.

That's what they were there for, after all.

Suddenly, Aizawa stopped.

Momo was immediately in hero mode, ready to create something should they find themselves in need. Katsuki listened and watched for any signs of trouble. Aizawa had years of experience over both of them, and it was clear something was amiss.

It was faint, but they could hear shouting from somewhere further off. Police sirens and dogs barking assaulted them as they broke into a dash towards the commotion. It was critical for pro heroes to arrive on the scene as soon as possible, offering assistance to their police forces.

As the trio rounded the corner, they were met with the sight of a large, beast like man being shot at by officers. He roared, deep and guttural, causing windows in the nearby buildings to shake. Several individuals dressed in all black rode atop the man, shielding themselves from the gunshots as best they could.

Katsuki held off on just exploding in. That was something else he'd been working on the past few years. Unlike his first year self, he didn't just jump ahead anymore. The situation needed to be assessed - quickly - before any actions were taken.

"Are those cloaked figures hostages?" Momo murmured next to him.

"No," Aizawa pointed out. "They're all wearing some sort of matching uniform. Most likely some sort of weird activist group or something."

He could easily walk in and negate the beast man's quirk, but he was leaving things to the two students, to give them the proper experience.

"Alright. No hostages. Then-"

They heard a quiet crying sound. One of the men atop of the beast was holding a small figure in their arms, keeping them from squirming loose.

"Do they have a child!?" Momo whispered, enraged.

In a split moment, Momo saw the legs of the beast squat, as if to move. Thinking quickly, she made a dart and a tracking device, rushing in ahead and shooting it into its body just as it's strong, muscled legs launched him and his companions from the site and atop one of the rooftops further away. There was no way the police - nor the heroes - would be able to keep up. Their unit wasn't one on high mobility.

"Good thinking, Yaoyorozu," Aizawa praised her. "Quick, make the locater so we can track them. If they've got a kid against their will, that's not ideal."

They quickly hopped in a police car, the rest of the forces joining in, as they sped off towards the location the device signaled to. Aizawa quickly contacted reinforcements from nearby, believing this to be a bigger operation.

"Midnight was thankfully patrolling nearby with Earphone Jack and Invisible Girl. They should be arriving on the scene shortly after us."

Momo felt a bit more at ease, knowing Kyouka would be on the scene of the bust as well. Not being able to help it, strategies and possible plans started pouring through her mind. She knew that, while Tooru and Kyouka were excellent for stealth and recon missions, the brunt of the work would be hers and Katsuki's. Aizawa and Midnight would be good at subduing any quirks, but when it came to hand to hand combat… Katsuki would have to be careful.

If they found themselves in a small, enclosed space, his quirk could prove disastrous. However, she had faith in the rambunctious boy. In fact, she wasn't even sure she could consider him a "boy" anymore. They were all 17 and 18 years old and he had learned to control his quirk significantly. No longer would he simply rush into combat given the chance; he would make sure they were safe before unleashing hell upon the criminals.

"You got any plans in that big skull of yours, Ponytail?"

She brushed off his bristly words, knowing them to not hold negative meaning. "Yes. With Kyouka and Tooru coming in, they should be able to do some recon for us. Once we understand the situation, Midnight and Eraserhead should nullify any quirks or aggressive criminals. Once we're in, if anyone makes it past those two, we'll take them out and leave them to the police and retrieve the child."

"Sounds good to me… Let's beat some bastards."

Arriving on the scene, the building they pulled up to was dank and seemingly abandoned. Gray stone and concrete rose high, and it seemed almost like an abandoned parking complex or some sort of deserted apartment building. There were no windows and iron stair wells led upwards on the outside of the gray walls.

They waited until they saw the floating gloves of Tooru bouncing alongside Kyouka and Midnight. Kyouka brought Momo in for a quick hug before turning to her task. Hagakure made work of heading inside the building, being given an earpiece made swiftly by Momo. Kyouka inserted an ear jack into the walls…

"There's five of them. They're whispering… they sound panicked. Tell Hagakure to be careful of the third story… That's where they're at."

"Good work," Aizawa grunted as Momo reported to Tooru through their headpiece. "We only know the one guy's quirk, but he'd be stupid to use it in a rundown building like this. We don't know the other four-"

"There's another. I hear a kid crying. That's six total."

"Got it."

They waited some time before Kyouka announced, "Invisible Girl is approaching the third floor. Any updates?"

"She only mentioned a lot of garbage everywhere, going up the first two floors," Momo reported. "This place must have been abandoned and they've been holed up here for a few months."

"Shhh," Kyouka hushed them, listening intently. "She's… I think she's making her way back."

They waited a solid ten minutes before Tooru made her way out of the building, flipping on the visibility of her suit Mei programmed for her.

"They've got some shady stuff going on in there, you guys. They've got a little boy - probably five or six years old - and he's crying up a storm. They were fighting a lot about how they're gonna get out."

"So, obviously they know we're here."

Tooru gave a thumbs up, since no one would be able to see if she nodded her head. "I didn't get a read on all of their quirks. The one big guy, their leader I'm guessing, is really hairy."

"That's that beast guy we saw earlier," Katsuki grumbled.

"Yeah. One guy was kind of glowing - just making light out of his body. The others seemed like their quirks aren't mutative. I couldn't get much other than that."

"Anything about the boy?" Momo worried.

"Yeah, they kept saying stuff like 'we can't lose him at any cost' and 'it took so much getting him in the first place' and junk like that. I definitely don't think he's there willingly…"

"Okay. Other than the beast fucker," Katsuki snarled, "the other bastards seem like a bunch of side character pipsqueaks who don't fucking matter. I say we send in Midnight, get her to put these fuckers to sleep, grab the kid and head out. No need to drag this shit out any longer."

Momo actually found herself agreeing. "Alright. Let's move in."

The four of them quickly ascended towards the third floor. The police force waiting for their signal that the villains were ready to be arrested, lagged behind.

There were no doors or windows in the complex; simple open archways and gray concrete. It seemed to be a building under construction when the funds got cut, simply being left unfinished and forsaken.

Midnight released her pheromones, while Aizawa and Bakugou wore masks Momo made for them. They heard the sounds of several bodies dropping onto the floor. Two female voices rose from the inside, shouting in surprise.

Aizawa quickly dove in, negating the first woman's quirk. The other woman, a tall spindly thing with frazzled red hair glared, seemingly ready to attack.

Momo dove in, sending a quick and efficient chop to the back of her neck, knocking her out cold. Bakugou was on top of the other woman in seconds, the whole ordeal not even taking thirty seconds.

Momo looked over to the corner, a small boy cowering away from them all. He had messy light brown hair - likely ungroomed for some time. He wore dirty, tattered clothes and he looked too skinny for her liking. Two wet streaks disrupted the dirt on his face, leaving him somewhat muddy. His green eyes, shining with tears, met hers… and she nearly melted. She approached him, lowering herself to his level and maintained their eye contact.

"Hello," she greeted him with a smile. "My name is Momo. I'm a hero."

His eyes brightened and widened. He reached out a hand to her and she took it. She sat there with him for a moment, calmly.

"What's your name?"

He looked at her, shyly, before saying, "Itsuki…" His voice was small and crackled somewhat, as though from disuse, and Momo felt upset as her heart twinged.

Katsuki made his way over, uncharacteristically placing a hand on Momo's shoulder. "We're getting you out of here, kid. These jackasses-" he winced at Momo's intense glare, "these _jerks_ won't be bothering you anymore. Let's get him out of here."

The police swiftly entered the building, apprehending the villains and dragging them away. The students were all congratulated by their teachers and the police force. Itsuki only allowed Momo or Katsuki to pick him up to take him out of the building, throwing a fit when anyone else approached him.

The three of them sat off to the side, Momo cradling the small boy as Katsuki told him all about how great being a hero was and responding kindly to Itsuki's enthusiastic questions. It was an endearing sight and Momo couldn't' help but smile as she pet through the boy's unfortunately dirty hair.

After some time, and after most of the ruckus had died down other members of the police approached the teen heroes and the boy in between them.

"We need to take him in for questioning and for child services… He'll need to be investigated and we'll be searching for his family."

"Of course," Momo agreed, ready to hand the boy over.

"No!" The little boy screamed as the protective service officers began to grab him. "No no no!" Momo's heart clenched as he clung to her shirt. "Momo! Please! I don't wanna!"  
She looked to Katsuki, a seemingly bored expression on his face. But his eyes betrayed the hurt and conflict whirling around his head. She could tell he was already defensive over the boy he'd spent the last hour bonding with.  
She raised a hand to the police, stopping them.  
"Please, you're scaring him."  
She knelt down to him, sweeping the boy into her arms.  
"It's alright, Itsuki. It's going to be okay."  
Bakugou came up and ruffled the little boy's hair. "Yeah kid, no need to freak. They'll make sure you're safe and put with good parents."  
"No!"  
One of the workers looked pleadingly at the two of them.  
Momo relented swiftly. "What if we come with you?"  
The little boys tears stopped and he brightened somewhat. He nodded to her and clung tighter against her chest.  
"Seems he's pretty attached..." one of the workers commented.  
Momo started following them, laughing lightly. Katsuki kept close behind her, suddenly feeling protective of the woman and child.

He could figure the kid had been through some shit. He didn't know what, exactly. The detectives would figure more of that shit out anyway. But the kid was scared out of his mind. He was surprised he was taken with him and Ponytail at all.  
Katsuki spared a glance at the young woman he'd been partnered with for the day. He couldn't entirely blame the kid though, thinking on it. She was calming and motherly; always had been. Where _he_ was involved, however, was a mystery to the young man.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
They were lead into a station, filled with documents and legal looking arrangements. It seemed less like a child development and safety building and more like a regular office. The entire place was unsettling and was probably even more so for the already wary child.

Aizawa and the workers went into a separate room, leaving the three of them to eat offered snacks and drinks. Momo and the boy ate fiercely, one trying to restore their quirk while the other was simply a starved boy.  
After quite some time, Itsuki now fully fed and safe, drifted off into sleep, resting his head against the crook of Momo's neck. The two of them would certainly need a good bathing after all was said and done…

It took a bit, but the adults finally beckoned for them to come in the room. Aizawa had a strange look on his face - almost apprehensive - while the rest of them looked to the heroes in training with hopeful expressions.

"So this is what we've worked out," their teacher started. "How do you two feel about being parents?" He gave one of his signature Totoro smiles.

"Wh-what!?" the two of them erupted.

Itsuki somewhat jostled in his sleep, while Momo willed him to continue resting, feeling somewhat guilty for helping wake the child.

"What about the kid's parents? Where the hell are they?" Katsuki snarled. "You can't just give someone's kid up for adoption!"

"We've had our teams looking into our databases and he just… isn't coming up yet. There aren't any records of him. Until we either find his parents or a different situation, we may have to rely on you," explained the chief.

"I ain't ready to be a dad yet!" Katsuki shouted as Momo clung to Itsuki slightly.  
"It's more like a temporary thing," one of the workers corrected. "Aizawa will be his 'legal guardian' while he resides with either one of you until graduation. Then, should you two become pro heroes and make a reasonable enough income and provide a stable living environment, you can be given his custody. Should that be something either of you desired."  
"I... feel like that isn't supposed to be how something like this works…"  
"Usually, you'd be correct, Miss Yaoyorozu. However this is a special situation, similar to the one of Eri." Momo smiled, recollecting the times with the small girl. She was glad all of that mess was over and the girl was happy and safe. "The boy is about the age she was when she was brought into the UA dorms. Lemillion and Suneater are working on providing her with a stable environment. And they show promise. They look to be adopting her in the next two or so months."  
Katsuki scrunched his brow, glowering, and lowering his voice, "Are you saying we're supposed to adopt this kid after we graduate?"  
Momo stroked the sleeping child's hair, looking very much his mother. Katsuki felt partially aggravated that she'd already bonded with the boy over such a short period of time, but also couldn't begrudge her as he felt the same. He just knew there was no time to care for an actual _child_ while he was competing to be a number one hero.  
"That... seems like a tough situation," Momo commented. "We're both still children ourselves... we'll still be naive and new to the world once we graduate. Is it wise to leave either of us in charge of this boy?"  
The man scratched his beard, his age becoming apparent. He rolled his shoulders and regarded the two teenagers carefully.  
"You're absolutely correct, once again, Miss Yaoyorozu. You're both much too young to be guardians of any child, nonetheless this one. But, somehow, within these short past few hours... he's gotten attached. He's imprinted on the two of you, and any disruption of that imprint might prove to be catastrophic. This child has a powerful quirk. We're not quite sure what it is yet," he informed them, seeing their confused expressions. "However, it's definitely something we'll have to be keeping an eye on and researching."

"Many adults might be blinded by all of that that," a different worker chimed in. "Either that or he'd be a target and most parents wouldn't be able to deal with villains coming after their child. You two are powerful and are living in the dorms of UA. One of the safest places to be. Not only will the boy be with you frequently, under your personal attention, but he'll also be under UA's security surrounded by veteran pro heroes. Does this not sound like the safest and least traumatizing option for the boy?"  
Katsuki growled, "I'm not trying to be a dad, jackass. I'm going to be the number one hero. Being a teen dad is..." he ran a hand through his scruffy hair. "It's not an option. Have someone else do it."  
Momo glanced at him, knowing Katsuki was softer than he let on. She considered the boy in her lap and felt a pang of sadness at the thought of being separated.  
"I'll do it."  
"Yaoyorozu!?"  
"He's so young and he... doesn't trust anyone. We can teach him to trust people again and once that happens we can discuss possible options. Besides, he needs somewhere to stay and someone to care for him while he goes through his testing and background searches. Might as well be with the only ones he seems to trust."

"He'll get over it!"

"I don't want him to have to though."  
"Don't be so damn emotional, Yaoyorozu!" Katsuki snapped. "You're the number 2 at UA right now, you know that right!? This kid will just drag down our studies-"  
"Bakugou. I'm well aware of my standing, thank you very much. Itsuki is not a baby. He won't disturb my sleep nor will he 'drag me down'. And, should that ever occur I will discuss with him how things are going to work. I'm not... throwing away my career to take in this child. Nor am I throwing out this child to promote my career. Both can be achieved with the proper time management skills."  
"... You're fucking crazy. You're leaving the second and third spots to me and that lukewarm bastard, you know that?"  
She narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly gone was the motherly warmth. "You really think I'd just lay down and surrender my title? You're out of your mind Bakugou Katsuki. Do whatever you'd like, but I'll help care for this child and maintain myself how I will. With or without your help."  
He felt a chill jolt down his spine on the intensity of Momo's glare. She was a frightening adversary indeed. His shoulders sagged in defeat, before grumbling, "Yeah sure… do whatever the hell you want. Just leave me out of it."

And that was how they returned to campus. Aizawa dropped them off in front of the dorms, explaining that he'd brief them in the morning on how things would proceed. The two young adults found themselves entirely thankful that it was a weekend.

Itsuki clung to Momo's skirt, having woken up a little, as the trio walked into 3A's dorm building. Due to how late it was, most of their classmates were in their rooms asleep. Momo and Katsuki felt the strain on their own bodies and they longed to do the same. The lobby was scarce, save for Midoriya, Iida, and Ochako.  
The three of them, most likely in the middle of a late night study session, based on all the open books and flashcards - and color coded highlighters on Iida's part - looked up at their sudden arrival. They smiled in greeting before looking confused.  
"Welcome home guys..." Midoriya started. "Who's... your friend?"  
Itsuki rubbed his eyes and hid behind Momo.  
"This is Itsuki," Momo introduced. "He's going to be staying in the dorms with us for a little while."  
"What!?"  
"He imprinted on Ponytail and won't leave her alone. Cops guilted her into taking the brat until they can figure something out."  
She frowned at him, but kept silent, simply giving itsuki's small hand a squeeze.  
"Mama..." Itsuki whimpered, suddenly feeling uneases by being at the center of attention. He was already somewhat fussy due to the long day he'd had.  
Katsuki glanced down at the kid. "It's Momo, kid. Not mama. Don't get too attached."  
Momo got down on the little boys level. "Itsuki, it's alright. They're my good friends and they're heroes too, just like us. Okay?" She smiled, trying to reassure him.  
It seemed to work as Itsuki smiled shyly in return, appearing a bit more relaxed.  
"Okay, mama."  
"Kid, listen-"  
"I don't mind if you want to call me mama, itsuki."  
"Wha-!?"  
"Really? It's okay?"  
"Of course. This isn't about me. I want you to feel safe and comfortable and you're allowed to tell me if something makes you feel bad or upset, okay? This is only going to work if we communicate with each other. So I say you're allowed to call me mama, since I'm sure it makes you feel better."  
She took the little boy's hand and stood back up.  
"We'll be heading to bed," she announced to the others. "I'll explain everything properly in the morning. But it's been a long day and the three of us are tuckered out."  
"Wait a minute," Katsuki interrupted. "The kids gonna sleep with you? Like in your bed?"  
"Unless he doesn't want to."  
"Ponytail..."  
"Unless you want him to sleep with you, we hardly have any options, Bakugou. Now I've argued with you enough for one day, and I'm exhausted. Let's all go to sleep and work everything out in the morning."

Momo picked Itsuki up, making her way towards the bathing area, more than ready to get herself and the boy cleaned off and ready for bed.

Katsuki glowered at the other three side characters before trudging up the stairs to the boy's side of the dorms, already knowing it was going to be hard to sleep that night.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Momo woke up, feeling as though she'd been hit by a truck. Her body was sore and her mind fuzzy. She felt something gripping the front of her nightgown tightly and looked down to see Itsuki, fist balled in the fabric. He was curled against her front, also lazily blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"Morning, Mama," he mumbled slightly, giving her a warm smile. She had no idea when the last time the little boy had gotten a bath, warm food, and a warm bed. Momo felt a twinge of sadness at the thought but also felt relief that he wouldn't be returned to that lifestyle ever again.

"Good morning, Itsuki," she greeted warmly, petting the boy's hair. "Did you sleep well?"

He nodded excitedly, his smile bright and infectious. "Your bed is so big! I don't think I've ever slept on a mattress not on the floor! And it's so clean!"

She grit her teeth slightly, but maintained her cheery disposition. "That's wonderful! I'm glad you liked it. You'll never have to sleep on a dirty mattress on the floor again, I promise."

"You really mean it?"

She patted his arm, dotingly, "I really do. Now, how does breakfast sound to you, little man?"

He seemed bewildered for a moment, before asking, "We get dinner _and_ breakfast here? Mama… did I die when those bad guys took me? Is this heaven?"

"... No, Itsuki. Where you were was not a good or normal place. It's typical for people to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. You're a growing boy, so we need to make sure you're eating, okay?"

He smiled like the sun as he nodded his head up and down at a rate that almost made Momo worry he might break his neck. "Okay mama! Let's hurry! Papa might be down the stairs already!"

"P-papa?" Oh, Katsuki was not going to like this.

"Yeah! The man from yesterday! You're mama, he's papa! You're both heroes!"

He ran over to the door and looked to her excitedly. Confused as to why she wasn't bounding after him, he shot her a curious look. She beckoned him to follow her.

"We'll go shopping properly later… But the people from the office we went to last night let us borrow these clothes for you. We'll go down for breakfast once you've gotten changed for the day."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… we change out of our pjs before we go down and meet everyone else. I also need you to comb your hair. Do you need help with it?"

Befuddled, Itsuki played with one of his shaggy locks. "Brush it?"

"We washed it last night, but you have to brush it every day…"

"Every day?"

Momo felt angry again. The villains apparently hadn't taught the boy an inch of grooming skills. She took out a soft brush and sat the boy in front of her on the bed.

"Yes, every day. We brush our teeth every day. We bathe every day. We change our clothes every day. We eat three meals and some snacks every single day."

"That's… a lot of stuff to do every day, mama. Do we have to? I didn't do that stuff before…"

"I know… But things are going to be a little different from now on. Well…" she sighed. "Very different. It's good for you to be clean and to take care of yourself."

He seemed to contemplate this. "Does this mean it won't be itchy all the time anymore?"

"... You will definitely be less itchy if you wash yourself and change your clothes regularly, yes."

Itsuki brightened once more. "Ok, I'll do it then. Being itchy is really annoying."

Upon finishing up with that task, the two of them made their way down the stairs until they found themselves in the common area on the first floor. A few of the others were already busying themselves with breakfast and getting ready for activities for the day. It was the weekend, so they didn't have class, but a majority of them were probably heading into town for the day.

Itsuki clung to her skirt, suddenly anxious at the sight of the other people. All the people who were… staring at him now. Strangers who… were… looking right at him…

Then he saw Katsuki and he raced right over to him, leaping into the blond's lap. Ignoring his other, more reluctant, caretaker's shout of surprise he waved Momo over.

"Mama! I told you papa was already downstairs! Hurry!"

Katsuki shot her a look, as if the boy calling him 'papa' was her fault in the slightest. _I knew he wouldn't like it…_

"Good morning, Bakugou."

"Ponytail, why is the brat in my lap."

"Itsuki," she chose to ignore him, "what would you like for breakfast?" At his look of confusion, she quickly figured he would eat whatever was placed in front of him. "Bagels it is then."

Katsuki tried maneuvering his miso soup around the kid in his lap, and he was quickly becoming annoyed with how difficult it was. But he wouldn't yell at the boy. He would complain, and gripe, and throw stink eyes at Ponytail all day long. But he wasn't going to turn any of that, any of his aggression, on this small child. Though… he was seconds away from throwing a tantrum at their stupid, dumbass classmates who thought it was appropriate to stare openly at them.

"The fuck are you all looking at?"

"Bakugou!"

"... The hell are you all looking at?"

Momo huffed and shot Itsuki a look. "Do not repeat what Bakugou says, Itsuki. No bad words."

Itsuki giggled. "Papa says bad words."

"Yes he does. Do not repeat them. Bakugou-"

"I'll say whatever the fuck I want, Princess. Now what in the hell are you freaks all looking at!?" he growled at the group that had settled themselves nearby at the tables in the dining area.

"Who's the kid, dude?" Kirishima questioned, looking over the young boy in his best friend's lap. "I didn't know you had a kid?"

"Are you a moron?" Bakugou grumbled. "The kid's six. I'm 18. How am I gonna have a six year old brat, dumbass." He sighed, heavy and agitated. "Ponytail, tell them what's with the kid. I don't want to deal with this."

Momo walked back over, breakfast for herself and Itsuki on two plates. Itsuki began grabbing eagerly for his food, Momo chiding him over table manners for a moment before looking to all her classmates.

"This is Itsuki. He's a bit shy, so please be patient with him."

"Itsuki as in… Katsuki?" Ochako grinned. "What a coincidence you have there."

"Shut it you oversized balloon," Katsuki grumbled. "Anyways, the kid's staying with us for a bit. Don't bug him."

"Yeah…" Sero said. "But… what's his deal? Where'd you guys get him from?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Mina called out. "He's calling you mama and papa and everything! What's the deal with that?" She looked all too excited at the prospect, her romance radar going off the rails.

"We rescued him on our patrol yesterday," Momo said, wiping a bit of cream cheese from Ituski's mouth. "He was taken by a group of villains. We're keeping him safe and protected at UA until his birth family is found."

Katsuki huffed, noting how Momo didn't feel it necessary to tell them about the possibility of adopting the kid permanently after graduation. They didn't know if they'd find the real family… but hey, he wasn't going to tell them if she didn't. He took another large spoonful of miso, making sure there was a good amount of tofu.

"So he's gonna be living here?" Ochako asked. "With us?"

"Yes," Momo said. "Well, with Bakugou and I. At least… if that's what Itsuki wants-"

Itsuki suddenly looked panicked. "I don't have to stay with people other than you and papa, right!? I don't wanna! I wanna stay with you-"

"And you will. No one's taking you away, Itsuki. You just got here." Momo cupped his cheek. "You're safe, alright?"

"Okay…"

"Now keep on with your breakfast. Good job."

The others were grinning and Kaminari said, "You're so lucky, kid! Yaomomo's like all of our mom, so you're lucky for her to be like… your mom too."

Itsuki regarded Kaminari for a moment… before ducking next to Momo, where she sat next to Bakugou, sandwiching himself between the two of them.

"You two look like a cute little family," Kyouka commented snarkily, a shit eating grin on her face. "Just picture perfect."

"Shut it, earphones," Bakugou growled out. "None of you jerks go around talking about 'family' or any of that crap, got it?"

"Sure," they said, none of them looking or sounding convincing in the slightest. Momo could already tell how excited they all were to have fun with the predicament. She sent them all a look, knowing they'd be more inclined to take her seriously. She didn't mind their teasing, as long as they left Itsuki out of it.

"But still, they let Bakugou in charge of a kid?" Sero chuckled. "That doesn't seem super smart to me."

"He's gonna be cussing up a storm in no time!" Kaminari added, jovially.

"I don't think that's quite correct..." Momo piped up, catching them off guard. "Bakugou is sweet and considerate; in his own way. Everyone has different ways to show love and care. His may be different, but that doesn't take away his meaning behind them."

Their classmates exchanged looks of surprise before they shifted into warm understanding. Or, at least they thought they understood.

"Yaomomo is so nice!"

Kirishima elbowed Katsuki in the shoulder. He understood where she was coming from completely. "She's got you there, Bakugou-"

He stopped in his tracks at the bewildered look on his self proclaimed best friend's face. Katsuki stared, somewhat openly, at Momo in what appeared to be awe. Momo turned to look back at him, offering him a kind, casual smile. As though she hadn't just sparked the beginning of something bigger. Kirishima lowered his arm, watching the exchange in quiet contemplation.

Aizawa came around shortly after. Most of their classmates had already cleared out by then, finishing breakfast. Itsuki greeted him, warmer than the others since he recognized the older man from the previous day.

"Hey, Mister."

"Hey, kid."

Momo and Katsuki listened intently when their teacher began instructing them on their routines for the next day. "So, while you guys are in class, Itsuki is going to be taking his own lessons or training his quirk. Then, you'll pick him up and bring him back. That's pretty much it. You might wanna head into town yourselves, today."

He handed the two of them an envelope.

"What's this?"

"Money for the kid. He's going to need more than what the bureau gave him yesterday. Clothes, grooming stuff, some toys probably. I don't know, whatever kids need."

"Ah…" Momo looked down at the envelope. "I can't say I'm particularly experienced with children and what they need…"

Katsuki was quiet, but he agreed. The two of them were an only child and a rich girl; they probably didn't have the same experiences as most children anyways. He could at least relate to having been a little boy. Or a normal child at all, albeit aggressive.

"It'll be fine. You don't wanna make the stuff yourself anyways," he knew she didn't like making things she could buy unless she had to, "so we'll just head into town and browse for a bit. Maybe research some stuff he'll need and the rest can be fun." He suddenly felt the need to reassure her. To let her know things would work out. Even though he didn't really want a part in this… It seemed to calm her anyway, making him feel a bit better as well.

The three of them made their way out of the dorms and, with the money and the permission slip from Aizawa, they hopped on a tram into town.

Opening the envelope, they discovered a large sum of money. Even Momo was surprised. "What on earth are we supposed to buy with all this?" she wondered.

"Hell," Katsuki gripped the cash intently, "we can buy this kid a bike with even just the leftovers… damn. We could buy this kid like… ten bikes."

"Bikes!" Itsuki cheered.

"We won't be buying ten bikes," Momo scolded halfheartedly, seeing the two of them pout. "But we can probably afford to get _a_ bike. Let's focus on clothes and sneakers first."

"Oh!" Itsuki got excited again. "Sneakers!"

Momo thought to Itsuki's barefoot form from the day before, angry once more with the tattered clothes and dirtiness. She would give this boy a healthy environment to grow up in if it was the last thing she did.

They quickly found a shop for children's clothes and Katsuki, at Momo's strong urgings, called his mom, not entirely sure what to look for.

"Katsuki?"

"Hey, hag."

"Stop calling me that, you little shit. What's the matter? You never call."

"What shit do kids need?"

The other line went quiet for a moment. "What?"

"Yeah, what stuff do kids need? Like, shirts and junk I know but what kind of underwear do-"

"Bakugou Katsuki, did you get a girl pregnant?"

"What!?" His cheeks flared up in both anger and embarrassment. "No, you psycho! I did _not_ get a girl _pregnant_!"

Momo looked over in concern at the sudden yelling, feeling a little silly with the Pikachu themed hoodie she was showing Itsuki. The little boy seemed enthralled with it, however, commenting that it looked like "that weird yellow guy from this morning."

"Then why are you discussing children with me right now? Over the phone?"

"Look, it's a long story but me and my classmate are in charge of this kid temporarily. We're out buying him stuff and neither of us have a single clue on what to get him."

"... I expect you to bring him and the girl over soon."

"Stop."

"Okay, so you're going to need…" and she began to tell him all the essentials of a little boy's closet and household. Toys, clothes, pjs, his own plates and utensils, coloring books, school supplies…

"Shit… kids are more than I thought," Katsuki grumbled quietly to Momo as Itsuki changed into another pair of shorts in the dressing room.

Momo laughed lightly. "Well, I think as far as kids go, this one is well behaved. We just need to make sure he's well taken care of for the time being."

He looked over her. Her dark hair was surprisingly down, cascading in a black curtain down her back. Her features were soft and feminine, making her namesake of a peach very fitting. She smiled warmly as Itsuki brought her over another thing he wanted to try on, very excited about being allowed to pick out all these clothes he could wear. The very concept of light up sneakers was clearly blowing the kid's mind.

Katsuki had always figured Momo would be one of those people that motherhood would look good on. He underestimated that. Angrily, he shook his head. He didn't have time to be dragged down by shit like this. He couldn't argue that Momo was insanely attractive; nearly everyone in their class if not their school appreciated the young woman's good looks and charms.

He thought himself better than that though.

But now…

"Are we almost done here?" He dragged a hand down his face roughly, hoping to make it seem from boredom rather than trying to rub the sudden heat growing in his cheeks.

"Yeah, papa, we're done!"

"Kid, you're gonna have to stop-"

"Next is the toy shop then. We need to look into getting you that bike!" Momo cut him off, heading over to the counter with all of their purchases. The cashier looked somewhat confused at what she perceived as a young couple paying for a huge haul for their somehow six year old son.

"Alright. Kid, we're gonna get you the sickest bike you've ever seen."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Those other people had all gotten home already by the time Itsuki and his new mama and papa made their way back to the dorms. Itsuki was pretty tuckered out but hungry again. The three of them had gotten lunch at the food court in the mall where Itsuki had been introduced to the concept of a pretzel dog. It was clear that there was no going back for the little tyke.

However, that had been hours ago and Itsuki, being a growing boy, was already hungry. But… he didn't tell Momo and Katsuki. He wasn't allowed to say when he was hungry before… maybe he could now? He recalled several times he had asked Victor for food. Wincing, Itsuki recalled how well that had gone… He didn't want to risk ruining things here, especially not just after a single day. He felt a little selfish, but he didn't want to give up this new life he found himself thrust into.

The three of them were putting half of Itsuki's stuff in Momo's room and the other half in Katsuki's, the loudest of the three quickly relenting on his part in the arrangement. Itsuki looked up from sorting his new toys in what they called a "toy box" near Momo's dresser. His new caretakers were so kind.

Mama was gentle and loving… she was very patient with him and was teaching him all sorts of new things. She was so pretty, too. Papa… was loud and aggressive. But not with him or Momo. Itsuki felt like he would be safe and protected with someone like him around. He was so cool! Itsuki hoped he could be like that, one day.

 _Maybe it will be okay… if I just ask..._

He put an All Might figure away before turning to them and saying, with a twinge of nervousness, "Are we allowed to eat again today?"

The two of them, adults in Itsuki's young mind, looked to him and appeared to realize something. "Oh dear!" Momo cried. "I'm so sorry, Itsuki! It's already this late… Let's go whip up something quick for dinner," and she led Itsuki downstairs by the hand.

Katsuki prowled after them, seeming irritated he forgot about dinner too. Itsuki didn't know why they were so worried. He was just curious, after all. He didn't quite understand the rules of this new place yet. He would have had no qualms with getting breakfast and lunch with no dinner. Even that was more than those scary guys ever gave him.

The small boy didn't understand why his new mama and papa seemed upset with _themselves_ and not _him_. He felt like these two could do nothing wrong. They introduced themselves as his heroes; and that's what they would be, he had decided rather quickly.

He trotted along after them, hoping to help. Hoping to repay the huge amounts of favors he felt was being done for him. Katsuki was chopping vegetables, swift and precise. Momo was simmering something in a pan, a mild yet spicy aroma beginning to waft from it. He stood by them, not knowing what to do.

Momo noticed him and smiled, making him feel good and safe. "Itsuki," she called him, "if you want to help, you can grab your step stool we got you and wash some of the vegetables Bakugou is chopping?"

Itsuki brightened. _He could help!_

"Okay, mama!" he raced over to his stool and dragged it towards the sink next to his papa. He climbed up and looked to his male caretaker. "Which ones do you want me to do, papa?"

Katsuki gave him a side glance before sliding a bundle of carrots and a few peeled potatoes over to him, not saying much. Itsuki quickly understood that when papa was quiet, he was being kind. Even if he was frowning or glaring or sulking. He could tell. Giving him a big grin, he began running the veggies under the cold water, enjoying the process.

"Don't use soap, kid," Katsuki quickly intervened when he saw Itsuki begin to grab for the hand soap. "You wash food with just the water, soap is bad to eat."

"Oh," Itsuki said, not feeling reprimanded but rather informed, "okay. I thought it was just to clean everything."

"No. There's different stuff to clean different things." A real man of wisdom.

"Okay."

And he continued his work, diligently, until papa took them from his hands, chopping them quickly and putting them into the pan mama was cooking in. A couple of the people who lived in the building walked by. A girl, a green haired man, and someone with glasses and funny eyebrows. Itsuki remembered they were there the first night he came to this new home.

"You three are too cute," a girl with round cheeks commented. "Like a little family."

"Uraraka, I'll shave your head," his papa growled at her.

The girl's cheeks pouted even rounder, before retorting, "Try me, Bakugou. You know if you did that, I'd do it right back."

"I don't even want to hear anything from _you_ ," he snarled at the man with green hair. "Not a word, Deku."

"Deku" looked calmly at him before shaking his head and turning to Itsuki. "It's good to have you, Itsuki. My name is Midoriya Izuku. My hero name is Deku."

"You're a hero too?"

Momo looked over at him, seeming to realize something. "Oh, did we not tell you? I thought we did. Everyone in this building is training to become a pro hero."

Itsuki's eyes nearly inflated, they were so wide. "Everyone is a hero? This place is full of heroes!? Are you guys heroes too?" he asked the tall man and the squishy girl.

"Yup!"

"Yes! We are in our final year of study as we prepare to move on to bigger, greater things!" the tall man was loud. And karate chopped the air with every other word he said.

"Am I gonna be a hero too?" he turned to his caretakers. "Do I get to learn how to be a hero here too?"

Katsuki looked like he was about to deliver him bad news, before Momo jumped in. "Of course you can! You'll have to work hard and wait a few years, but if you truly want to and put your mind to it, it's certainly possible!"

"Really, mama? Can I?"

"It's hard work, Itsuki," she said, gently. "You'll have to train every day and you can't ever want to give up or it won't work. But, if you can get past all of that and you want to help people, you can be a hero for sure."

His cheer dimmed somewhat. "I… don't know what my quirk does, mama."

The green haired man smiled before saying, "Quirks don't always make the hero. You're always at the front of things; you're the hero. Not your quirk. Give it time."

The doubt that had begun to crawl around in his belly and chest started floating away bit by bit. He suddenly felt like he could do anything. As long as he put his mind to it, like Momo said.  
"Thanks, Uncle Deku!"

Both Deku and Katsuki sputtered, one looking affronted and offended while the other looked confused and rattled. Momo and Uraraka wore delighted expressions and the tall man looked surprised, covering his mouth with both hands.

Itsuki quickly decided he was done with this conversation before turning back to washing a really dirty - in his mind - potato. He missed the look Katsuki sent Izuku, somewhat warning yet… not as harsh as he used to be. As though to tell him not to get too attached.

They finished their dinner swiftly, parting ways for the evening. Itsuki and Momo got dressed - Itsuki in new pajamas - and Momo tucked him into bed with her. She looked over at him, his eyes fluttering shut and back open every few moments.

"Itsuki," she called to him, gentle. "Would you like me to read you a bedtime story?"

"A what?"

"... It's a story book. I can tell you a story, to help you go to sleep."

Itsuki didn't think that made a whole lot of sense. How could someone else reading a book to you make you fall asleep quicker? He didn't get it, but mama seemed excited at the idea of whatever it was, and he wasn't about to make her sad.

"Okay."

He was rewarded with her delighted expression, and he was glad he didn't say no. She dashed off to one of the bookshelves in the room, one of the lower shelves having been cleared off for books of his own. She brought back a pretty book covered in beautiful illustrations. She settled back into the bed, next to him.

Itsuki found himself enthralled in the story she spun, changing her voice to match the characters when appropriate, and narrating in a calming tone. It was a story of a girl who was like him, who was abused and hurt by her "family" who wasn't really her family. He clutched Momo's periwinkle nightgown, eyelids heavy, as she told him of the girl's fairy godmother and the ball.

He was sure he was having that moment right now…

Having been whisked away by his new mama and papa… he couldn't imagine being happier. Momo looked down, having finished her story, to find the boy fast asleep. A light, upturned smile on his face.

Itsuki and his new caretakers quickly fell into a routine of sorts. Momo would wake up, getting Itsuki ready for his daycare and schooling. The two of them, after spending a good amount of time in vain trying to tame Itsuki's bed head, would head down to meet Katsuki for breakfast. They would all part ways until later on in the day, when they would come together to make dinner and head back to bed.

Some time had begun to go by, and Itsuki quickly realized his old life was… strange. Bad. Normal kids didn't go through what he went through. He would have to spend time unlearning what those men did to him.

His "therapist", or the man he went to go talk to once a week, told him it was okay to voice what he was upset with or to vocalize things he wanted or needed. It was good and normal. Itsuki didn't seem convinced until the older man mentioned it being helpful to "Bakugou" and "Yaoyorozu".

"Who?"

"Your caretakers, Itsuki. Those are their last names."

"Oh! Papa and Mama?"

"That's..." the man hesitated momentarily before continuing, "yes. It will be very beneficial to the two of them that you tell them when you need things and what those things are. If you are cold, they will know to keep you warm so you do not get sick. If you are hungry, they will know to feed you so you do not go without eating. Et cetera."

And thus, Itsuki learned. He began to understand that he was allowed to tell Momo that he didn't want to wear that particular shirt today. Even if she picked it out for him, it didn't mean anything if he didn't want to wear it. He was encouraged to tell Katsuki that he didn't like spicy food and that it hurt him. He was allowed to ask for seconds of rice or meat. Allowed to ask either of them to put a cartoon on for him when he tired of reading.

He was fighting the feeling of being demanding or greedy with all of these things he was suddenly allowed to have and do and ask for. It was… somewhat overwhelming at first. He went from not being allowed a thing to being allowed so many things.

Whenever his mama or papa insisted that something wasn't allowed or was bad, he didn't even question it. If there was _anything_ those two wanted him to not do or say, he would listen. He was already allowed so many things, he didn't feel bad for being told no to extra sweets. Itsuki trusted when his mama told him "no" to a certain movie on the tv, not quite sure what "it's not appropriate for your age group" meant, but believed it wholeheartedly. His mama was smart, after all.

The boy tried to begin branching out by asking for not just material things. "Can I have a hug?" he would nervously ask Momo, feeling a random urge to receive affection. "Can we play a game?" he would excitedly ask Katsuki when he came home from working out. Eyes hopeful and pleading. Momo would pull him into her lap and Katsuki would take him outside, using their new ball and mitts to play catch in the fields in front of the dorms.

He had never really felt _protected_ before. Never safe. Important, perhaps? He felt necessary before; some cog in the machine that was required. But here, with them, he felt cherished.

And he wanted to do the same for them. So he watched them. Watched the way his papa would clench his fist and grit his teeth before letting the tension fade and returning to normal. Took note of the way his mama would look nervous when her phone rang or how she looked at letters in the mail with disdain.

The two of them didn't seem close to each other, either, he figured. He was probably the only reason they were even beginning to spend any time together. The thought made him somewhat sad, but he'd been reading enough fairy tale books to see the signs. He felt his two parental units a bit silly for not noticing it themselves.

Momo got very soft and pretty when papa was around. Like a princess. She sparkled and smiled and understood him like none of his new aunts and uncles seemed to. He and mama understood how papa behaved. Understood how kind he was under all of those rough edges.

Katsuki's glowering face faded with mama around. He stood a little taller, trying not to slouch in her presence. As though he was trying to be larger; prouder. He would gently show her how to peel veggies and guide her hands, soft and tender. Itsuki saw the way his papa looked at his mama. The way he handled her. Delicate, as though she would break. As if she _could_.

Itsuki felt himself rather smart; proud with all of his observations. He loved his new parents and he was very aware of how much they loved each other. It was obvious, after all!

So he didn't understand why they denied it when their friends teased them about it. He didn't know why papa didn't go to bed with him and mama every night, only getting to see him outside. Despite his confusion, he felt it wise to not question it. He was convinced that they had their reasons for why they stayed separate and minded his own business.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

They carried on like this for some time. Something else that was new as a result of the entire situation was the increased amount of phone calls and messages from Katsuki's mother. She knew to keep her distance before; well aware of what kind of relationship she and her husband had with their prickly son. But, she was always an annoyingly doting woman and she was concerned with the care of "her new grandson" as she put it.

Katsuki always corrected her, berating her for getting clingy with a kid she'd never even met. She would ask for updates and pictures of both Itsuki and Momo. She was enthralled that the boy carried on the "tsuki" part of the Bakugou's naming and constantly asked Katsuki to let her and Momo have tea some time.

Eventually… he got sick of it, tired of his mother's prodding. Rather than shutting her down, once and for all - he knew that would _never_ work on _his_ mother in a million years - he decided to finally entertain her.

"Mom wants to meet the brat," Katsuki informed Momo one morning, abrupt and sharp.

"Oh?" she folded her hands in front of her, having casually set aside her tea cup. "And why do you sound so upset?"

He hesitated for a moment, as though ashamed to admit something. "Old bag wants to meet you too. She's convinced we're dating or some shit. Told her she's full of it, but she won't believe me."

Momo's cheeks felt slightly warm. "Well, I'd be happy to meet your mother."

Katsuki grunted, acknowledging her before rounding the corner out of sight.

And that was how Yaoyorozu Momo found herself in front of the Bakugou family's home. Never in her wildest imagination would she have ever thought she of all people would be visiting Katsuki's home… but there she was, Itsuki's small hand clasped in hers.

It was a modest abode. Though, everything was modest in comparison to her upbringing. But it had a nice yard and it was cute. Large maple leaves swished past her in the autumn air and Momo took in the brief moment of peace before Katsuki simply walked up to the door and opened it, announcing his presence to his home just as he would the world.

"Old man! Old hag! We're here!"

"Oh, Katsuki!" a feminine voice called out. "Come to the living room! I almost have lunch ready!"

Katsuki shuffled in, gesturing for Momo and Itsuki to follow. The three of them made their way through the home and Momo couldn't help but admire his mother's interior decorating skills. It was clear the woman had a sense on how to get the most out of the space offered to her in the otherwise modest home.

She couldn't help but marvel at the family photos lining the walls; a young Katsuki with two people who looked too much like him to _not_ be his parents. Katsuki as a child was very different than as a young man, Momo decided. These photographs documented boyish smiles, unabashed and confident. No signs of the dark scowls or the baring of teeth in a snarl.

Such a strange thing… whatever could have happened since then? To make Katsuki that way. Momo couldn't help but wonder what occurred from such a young age to transition him into the young man he was.

Before she knew it, the three of them were entering an open kitchen viewing into a living area. Bakugou Mitsuki was… almost exactly what Momo expected. She looked like a grown, female version of her son. Middle aged with strong laugh lines and a glow about her, Mitsuki had a strong personality. She could tell.

She bowed slightly and Itsuki, seeing this, imitated her to the best of his ability. "Thank you very much for inviting us into your home," Momo said, staying true to her refined, polite upbringing.

"It's nice to meet you," Itsuki echoed off of Momo, not sure what to do. He knew that this lady was his Papa's mama. So what did that make her to him?

"Oh!" Mitsuki smiled brightly at the sight of them, placing some sort of plate settings on the dining table in front of her. "Welcome!" She rushed over and took Momo into her arms, Katsuki squawking indignantly while Momo simply froze at the physical contact. "It's so good to finally meet you! You're just so pretty! Are you sure you're with my son?" She cupped Momo's cheeks, inspecting her thoroughly.

"Old bag! Let 'er go!" Katsuki stomped over and began trying to pry his mother's hands off of his parental partner. "And what do you mean by 'with'? I told you we ain't dating, you hag!"

Mitsuki released Momo and looked to the young boy. "And you must be Itsuki!" She looked like she wanted to embrace the boy as well, but figured he wouldn't take kindly to a stranger suddenly embracing him. He already looked put off by this random lady grabbing at his maternal figure. "It's very nice to meet you!" She opted to hold her hand out to him. He took it cautiously, shaking it.

"Nice to meet you too…"

"Alright, you all get comfortable! I'll go get your father, Katsuki!"

Katsuki began preparing plates for them, including his parents. His features were as stern as always as he carefully portioned out food onto dishes and setting them in front of Momo and Itsuki. Momo felt something inside her flitter. For a brief moment… Katsuki looked very domestic and soft, despite the intensity of his features. And… he was rather close as he placed chopsticks in front of her. Very close… He had such pretty eyelashes-

"The hell are you looking at, Ponytail?" he grumbled, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, sorry." It was rude to stare, after all.

Itsuki sat patiently, though it was obvious he wanted to dig right into the meal in front of him. He looked up nervously as Mitsuki came back with a rather languid, lackadaisical looking brunet man. Dressed casually, he carried himself calmly and sat himself right next to his son.

"Why hello there!" he greeted them, before looking to Mitsuki and offering her a glass of wine. "I'm Bakugou Masaru. Very nice to meet you two," he blinked slowly. "Have to say though, never expected Katsuki to bring quite a pretty girl home. Just like me, sport!" He clapped Katsuki on the shoulder. "Real winners, us Bakugou's."

"Dad, piss off," Katsuki growled. "We aren't datin'."

"Oh, alright son," Masaru conceded in a tone that made it quite apparent that he didn't believe a single word his son had just said. "Miss Momo, would you like any salad?" he offered both the bowl and a kind, fatherly smile.

Momo, completely unused to such figures, simply nodded. Not forgetting her manners, she said, "Thank you very much, Mr. Bakugou."

Masaru chuckled deeply, rich and throaty just like his son. "You may call me Masaru. I wouldn't take any offense at all, young lady."

"Old man!" Katsuki snapped. "Stop treating her like she's yer daughter-in-law!"

"And what about you, young man?" his father asked Itsuki, ignoring his own son. "Would you like some pork? We have rice too, if you like that."

Itsuki's eyes brightened immensely at the mention of rice, almost like a cat's. His pupils widened as he contemplated taking food from this strange man. Momo gave him a gentle prod as Katsuki ruffled his hair. "Give him an answer, kid. He asked a damn question."

"Yes, papa." Itsuki and Momo missed it, but Katsuki sure didn't. His parents' eyes lit up like it was Christmas. "Yes, Mr. Papa's dad. I would like some rice very much. Please and thank you."

"What a polite boy!" Mitsuki praised him. Itsuki felt his chest puff out with pride, getting the chance to show off the manners his Mama had been drilling into him. "You're very well mannered, Itsuki!"

"Mama tells me manners are very important," he explained. "So I need to be very good and behave like a gentleman would."

"If only Katsuki would act a little more like you!" Masaru guffawed. "Though…" he looked over his son, silently simmering. "He appears more calm than usual. Fatherhood does that to you, boy. Makes you soft!" He laughed again.

"I ain't soft, old shit!" Katsuki retorted, voice rasping somewhat. "I'm gonna raise this kid to be the strongest damn kid there ever was. Better than I was."

Mitsuki gave him a cautious look before saying, "Oh? So you'll raise him to not bully other children?"

The room went oddly silent at that statement.

"Bag, not now." _Not in front of them._

"I understand." _You'll have to explain at some point, Katsuki._

"Good." _I know._

Katsuki always had a love-hate relationship with the way he and his mother seemed able to communicate their full feelings with each other with so little words. He needed only give her a glance at times and could speak the entirety of his feelings and the old bag could understand him more than anyone else.

Though… he was beginning to have that connection with Momo as well. He saw her cast him a glance of her own. One that meant "we will discuss this later". He didn't know how he felt about Momo's new placement in his life. He didn't hear the wedding bells his psychopath parents were envisioning, but… it was strange. New. Having this kind of connection with someone other than his mother.

He offered her a nod before returning to his plate.

"So," Mitsuki said, breaking the silence again, "Momo! What kind of quirk do you have? You obviously participate in the Hero's course with my son."

"Well," Momo smiled and put her chopsticks down. "I can create anything using the lipids in my body. As long as I have a complete understanding of what it is I'm trying to create."

"Oh!" Mitsuki suddenly exclaimed. "You're Creati!"

"OH!" Masaru nearly jumped out of his seat. "I've heard of you! What a talent you have young lady!" He grinned and nearly leaned across the entire table to give her an enthusiastic handshake. "Katsuki is always saying how much he looks up to you! Our boy is a great hero, and by the sounds of it you're just splendid as well!"

"Dad!"

"It's true," Mitsuki piped up. "You're always on the news, everyone from your class. I saw on the news a few months back about a stake-out you two did! Was that where you got Itsuki?"

"Yeah," Katsuki offered, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep his parents at bay. "It was a rough day, huh bud?"

Itsuki felt something in his heart stir at Katsuki calling him that. "Yeah… I didn't like that day. Well…" he trailed off in thought. "I mean, it was scary at first. But then you and Mama came… so maybe I did like that day…"

Mitsuki and Masaru shared a glance, the two of them knowing better than to ask such a young child about his life prior to living at UA. They didn't want to cause such memories to resurface right now.

"Well that's good!" Masaru quickly directed the conversation away from that territory. "Itsuki, why don't you tell me what kinds of sports you like to play, son?"

The young boy, easily distracted, smiled big and cheeky. "Papa and I play catch in the yard all the time! It's my favorite! I like soccer too. Uncle Eiji and Uncle Denki let me play with them all the time."

"Oh? Oh!" Mitsuki's brief confusion was swiftly overtaken by understanding. "Kirishima and Kaminari?"

"Yeah," Katsuki confirmed. His friends had been over to visit with his family plenty of times over the past few years. "They've taken to the kid."

"Uncle Deku also lets me go running with him!"

Mitsuki shot Katsuki a strong look. "You call him Uncle Deku?"

"Yeah?" Itsuki seemed somewhat confused. "He told me I can call him that cause it's his hero name. It's also way easier than his real life name, you know. Why? Is it bad?"

Mitsuki looked conflicted but let it rest. "Alright, well as long as he lets you call him that. If he ever says he doesn't like it make sure you stop, okay?"

"... Okay." Itsuki glanced to Momo, unsure how to respond. Momo took his smaller hand in her own, offering a gentle squeeze. Feeling reassured, Itsuki returned to his food.

The rest of the afternoon passed, casual conversation drifting lightly through the air.

As they got back to the dorms of UA, Katsuki did something out of the usual. He came with the two of them back to Momo's room to help her put the little tyke to bed for the evening. Overjoyed, Itsuki listened to the two of them murmur quietly to each other before Momo pulled out their current evening read. They had quickly moved past simple children's books - Momo growing tired of the simple plots and Itsuki finding much more interest in the thrilling adventure novels Momo alternatively offered.

And, to Momo's surprise, Katsuki sat right next to her, leaning over to read the page as well as she voiced the story. Their shoulders brushed and she mentally startled at her proximity with _Bakugou Katsuki_. Catching her further off guard, he joined in. Doing different voices and relieving her every other paragraph. Eventually Itsuki drifted off to sleep and Momo walked Katsuki out of the room.

"Goodnight, Bakugou. Thank you for-"

"Hey," he interrupted her. "I… I'm sorry about my parents today. They're… fuckin' pushy and don't know when to quit."

Momo blinked a few times. "I… reassure you it's quite alright. Thank you, though, Bakugou. I appreciate your concern. Your parents are lovely people."

"Call me Katsuki."

"I'm sorry?" Her heart nearly stopped beating in her chest as she felt her stomach tighten. _What is happening?_

"Call me Katsuki. It makes sense, at this point." For a split second, it seemed as though he was leaning in towards her… before he turned around, waving nonchalantly as he made his way down the hallway. "Night, Momo."

 _Oh dear..._


	6. Chapter 6

Momo still hadn't told her own parents of the events that had been transpiring in her life. Nothing about Katsuki or Itsuki reached their ears as far as Momo was concerned. As far as she knew. Her parents loved her dearly, but they were already of the opinion that she shouldn't have been in the hero course. The idea of her having a "child and partner" would be enough to send them over the edge.

She'd managed to convince them and keep them satisfied with her outstanding marks and rankings amongst the students of UA. Her placement in the Big Three of that year was vital for this argument as well. Momo didn't fear her parents finding out about Itsuki. She knew they would love the boy just as much as she had come to over the past few months.

She worried that they would insist on her giving up her budding hero career in order to settle down and be Katsuki's housewife. Katsuki was a prime marriage candidate; Momo knew this. Her mother would be all over him and his parents. And, knowing Mitsuki and Masaru now, the two of them would most likely be more than happy to oblige.

Father would most likely prefer her to marry a bureaucrat. However, Katsuki was most certainly going to be within the top ten hero rankings some day, if not the top three. She wanted to be right up there with him as a pro hero herself. But, she knew her father would see Katsuki's promising career and would want her to settle down and be his support system that way.

Her parents were wonderful and she loved them immensely; but they were terribly old fashioned. She wanted to be a working woman with her own career and the two of them could not wrap their minds around that. Just like she couldn't wrap her mind around her mother simply staying at home and tending to the manor while her father was their designated breadwinner.

Mother's old fashioned upbringing was becoming more and more apparent to her as well. More often than ever, mother would send her emails, letters, messages - all pleading with her to begin the marriage selection process! Momo couldn't help but scoff. She was hardly eighteen. She had no interest in being married; especially not to some young, rich heir who was most likely full of himself.

While not entirely appropriate, she found herself ignoring her mother's pleas. She had her hands full in the moment and didn't want to risk Itsuki being sent off, should she choose to settle down with one of her mother's marriage candidates.

This had gone on for some time… until her mother had apparently had enough.

The three of them had been gathered around one of the dining tables, a rare moment of the little pseudo family being left to their own devices, the rest of Class A seemingly away. Momo was startled as her phone began to go off.

"Oh! I'm so sorry," she told the boys, neither seeming to mind much. She went to silence the device before seeing the familiar number on the screen. Feeling somewhat panicked she excused herself. "I have to take this… I'll be right back."

She picked up, noting the concerned look Katsuki gave her, and stepped away from the dining area, into the kitchenette.

"Hello, Mother…"

"Momo! Is there a reason you haven't responded to any of my letters I've sent you? You don't have to send me a signed document, but at least call or message me your thoughts and concerns on them?"

"Mother, I've told you plenty of times, I don't _have_ thoughts or concerns on-"

"Momo! You'll have to stop ignoring my marriage candidates sometime and actually settle down!" her mother was ranting over the phone. Momo fought to roll her eyes; she loved and respected her mother, but had no intentions of getting married and settling down anytime soon. She was, quite literally, not even eighteen yet.

"Mother, that's unnecessary-"

"Well then get someone yourself. If you can bring me someone that you're set to marry, I'll stop arranging the wedding meetings! Until then, stop refusing to meet them. You could just find someone you like! Of course, as long as it's someone your father and I would approve of."

She saw Katsuki give her a concerned glance over Itsuki's head, helping the boy eat his pasta. He was making quite the mess and it was definitely a spectacle to see Bakugou Katsuki trying to keep the storm contained.

Momo smiled and offered a small wave.

"Yes mother… I'll be sure to do that."

"Excellent. I'll be speaking with you soon. Take care."

She sighed after hanging up.

"What was that all about?" Katsuki asked as she approached the dinner table.

Momo's brow creased a bit. "My mother." Katsuki's brows raised somewhat in surprise at Momo's sour tone. "She wishes for me to settle down and choose one of the many marriage candidates she's proposed to me."

Katsuki choked on his pasta and started coughing.

"Papa!" Itsuki patted Katsuki on the shoulder. "Don't die!"

"I'm good kid," he grumbled after a second. "What the hell-" Momo shot him an icy look, "-heck did she say all that for?"

"Well-"

"Yeah!" Itsuki interjected. "You guys are already married."

The three fell under a pregnant silence, Itsuki happily chewing on his food, while the adults exchanged a dumbfounded look over the boy's head.

"What… gave you that idea, squirt?"

The little boy seemed confused. "Huh? Why wouldn't you be? You're my mama and papa. Mamas and papas are married. Duh." He went right back to eating, acting like he didn't just pull the rug out from his two caretakers.

"Where… did you hear that from, Itsuki?" Momo asked, clearly concerned.

Itsuki gave her an odd look. "Um… the tv shows it all the time. All of those kids have parents and they're all married, so obviously you guys are too. You're so silly!"

Katsuki gave her a look that said "we're gonna talk about this later" and they continued with dinner, a somewhat awkward silence taking over.

The three of them prepared for bed - Katsuki assisting her had become a regular event - and as soon as Itsuki fell asleep, Momo and Katsuki retired to the living room area of the Third Year dorm. They began having nightly chats over decaffeinated tea or coffee after putting their boy to bed.

It started lightly. Katsuki admitted he never even knew her favorite color, always assuming it to be red. She admitted she was more of a fan of orange and he found himself agreeing. Momo asked if he had a favorite food. He informed her that it was spicy ramen.

Then it grew to heavier topics. Those kinds of late night talks where you truly tried to get to know a person on a deeper level. "What do you think is out there? We can't be the only things in the universe." "What do you think happens when we die?" "How do you deal with the pressure?"

Tonight the topic was her mother.

"So, your old bag-" he corrected himself after seeing her sharp glance, "-your mother is trying to force you to get married to some random ass scumbag?"

She took a sip of the tea she had prepared for the two of them, light and dainty, before answering. "My mother would never try to set me up with a 'scumbag'. However… it truly is unnecessary and… unwanted, admittedly."

"Tell her you don't want to, then."

"I have, Katsuki."

"Then I'll tell her."

She nearly choked as Katsuki took a long, contemplative sip of his own tea. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me, Ponytail." She gave him another spine chilling look. "Listen, Momo. You're always trying to take care of anybody and everybody except your own damn self. Let me take care of you."

She felt warmth slowly creep into the flesh of her cheeks.

"Don't blush," Katsuki grumbled as he rubbed a hand roughly against the back of his neck. "You look like a damn peach when you blush."

"Then refrain from saying embarrassing things that would cause a person to blush, Bakugou Katsuki."

"It ain't embarrassing," he growled. "It's important. Just have me talk to her or something next time, alright? I'll set her straight."

"Katsuki, you know this is my mother, right? Not some random woman?"

"Yeah?"

"You absolutely cannot cuss out my mother!"

"Why the hell not? Sounds like she's being a prissy jerk who needs to be corrected. She wants you dating and married already? What? Are you not supposed to be allowed to build your hero career? You have the makings of a top ten hero, Momo. I refuse to just fucking sit here and watch you become some trophy wife for a dumbass bastard who just sits behind a desk to make his living."

Being able to look past Katsuki's naturally rough demeanor, sharp tongue, and dastardly language… Momo found herself incredibly touched at his thoughtfulness. She hadn't known he'd been quite that concerned for her…

"I'm sorry… you're right."

"Damn right I'm right!"

"Oh hush," she laughed lightly. "She told me to find someone myself if I'm going to ignore her marriage candidates."

"Oh. Well then what's the damn problem?"

"She won't stop insisting on her choices if I don't present someone to her and my father," Momo informed him, somber. "I don't know what else to do, Katsuki…"

He seemed to consider this for a moment.

"Date me then."

"W-what!?"

"Shh! Momo, do you wanna wake the kid?"

They both glanced over towards Momo's bed to find Itsuki still fast asleep. They were lucky that, once asleep, almost nothing could wake the boy.

"I'm sorry… but what on earth are you proposing?"

"You and me. We fake date until your mom gets off your back." _Oh_. "You tell her that you and I are an item. If I don't cuss a bunch around them and act like Best Jeanist tries to get me to be like, then I'll probably be a perfect 'marriage candidate' to satisfy your parents and get them to leave you alone. Then, once you're ready to actually try settling down, we 'break up' and you introduce your new boyfriend or whatever to them. Sounds like a decent idea to me."

"You… want us to fake date. To fool my parents and get my mother to leave me alone with her marriage proposals."

"Yeah. I think I'm a goddamn genius but it's up to you, Mo."

"... I… I think I'll have to take you up on that offer, Katsuki."


	7. Chapter 7

Katsuki was incredibly uncomfortable with the situation he found himself in. Wearing an uptight, perfectly tailored monkey suit with a tie that matched Momo's light orange dress and trying his best not to scowl, he stood in front of Mr. and Mrs. Yaoyorozu for the first time in his life.

He thought he was nervous to have _her_ meet _his_ family.

The two heads of the Yaoyorozu family stood prim and proper, looking five times as dolled up and well groomed as Katsuki felt and infinitely more comfortable doing so. Momo's mother was beautiful, smiling warmly at him in greeting. Her father appeared stoic and protective, scrutinizing every inch of this young man that he could.

Itsuki stayed behind with "Uncle Eiji" and "Uncle Deku" for the day. His two "parents" agreed wholeheartedly that it would be a rather terrible idea for the young boy to tag along to this particular event. Especially considering the older Yaoyorozu couple knew nothing of him in the first place.

He was rather upset with them for leaving him behind but was quickly and easily soothed with promises of going out to town the following weekend for movies and ice cream.

Momo's mother had been very confused at the sudden shift in opinion from her daughter. Going from saying "I'll find someone" to "I'm in a relationship" was jostling to say the least. Momo defended herself by saying the relationship had been so new and she hadn't wanted put any sort of pressure on it in its budding stages. Which was something that the older woman ate right up.

"Welcome!" Momo's mother took her daughter into her arms and offered a slim, delicate hand to Katsuki upon releasing her. He and Momo had trained for this. He had this in the bag. Katsuki grasped her hand - respectful yet firm - and placed a chaste kiss to the back of her hand. "Oh! What a gentleman!" her mother cooed as she retrieved her hand from him. "What a pleasure to meet you!"

"The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Yaoyorozu."

"Oh! Call me Hanae, dear!"

"That will hardly be necessary, love," her husband interjected.

He offered an extended hand as Katsuki turned to regard him properly. He grasped it and found a surprisingly firm grip from the businessman. _Guess CEO isn't as big of a wimp as I thought he'd be…_

"Good to meet you, boy." The words were spoken in a charismatic enough of a voice that Katsuki almost didn't catch the steel-like sharpness in Momo's father's eyes. "I'm Yaoyorozu Akifumi."

"Nice to meet you, sir," he studied the man's face. "I'm-"

"Bakugou Katsuki. Quirk being explosions. Coming from parents who own a skincare company, correct?"

Katsuki hesitated. Looks like he wasn't the only one who had been preparing for this day. "Yes sir. That's right."

"Father," Momo interjected, looking nervous. "May we carry on the conversation over tea? I find it… rather awkward simply standing about the foyer like this."

Her mother smiled strongly, nodding her head along with her daughter. "Absolutely, my dear. Let's go to the parlor then."

The four of them settled into a sort of lounge sitting area as servants brought about tea and sandwiches and sweets. Momo's mother sipped delicately and tittered excitedly while her father sat stoic, not touching any of the drink or food offered to him.

Katsuki opted not to take part in the food, copying Momo as she took what he assumed was a calming sip of her own tea. He was somewhat astonished, even after all this time, that she could make something like just drinking from a teacup look so graceful. And he remembered that this was a battlefield; she was the image of composure. They could do this.

"So, boy," Momo's father regarded him again, eyes narrowed. "What are your intentions with my daughter?"

He figured this was something that would come up, but Katsuki hadn't been prepared for it to be so soon! Straightening his posture more than he previously thought possible, he raised his chin in subtle defiance.

"I want to court her."

"Clearly," Akifumi seemed unimpressed. "I'm asking your intentions. You're not of wealth; do you hope to achieve something by pursuing my daughter? Is it the family name? Her quirk? Your quirks aren't very compatible, you know."

Katsuki fought not to snap at this fucker. As much as he wanted to rage - _I'm not trying to breed with your daughter, fuckface! -_ Momo was counting on him to keep it together. And, while he previously wouldn't have given a shit, he needed to do this for her. She was important.

"She's important to me, sir."

"How so? This is the first I've heard of you outside of regular classmate interactions."

"Akifumi," Hanae placed a gentle hand on her husband's forearm. "Maybe that's something we should ease into. I know!" She clapped her hands, excited. "How did you two start dating? Who confessed?" Her eyes glittered. It seemed Yaoyorozu Hanae was a hopeless romantic. Katsuki could play off of that.

"Well…" Momo trailed off, looking to him. They had come up their story.

"I've been interested in her since first year," Katsuki "confessed". He scratched the back of his neck, hoping to give off the impression of a shy adolescent boy. He even gave a sheepish smile. "She's always been so smart, you know?"

And Hanae nodded along, agreeably. "Oh certainly! Pretty too, don't you think?"

"Well of course," he laughed, a low rumble from his chest. "But I know she prefers to be admired for how capable is, don't you love?"

Momo wasn't expecting this day to be so hard to deal with. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire from all the praise - fake or not - from Katsuki. "I… certainly appreciate it, yes."

"All I'm hearing is about how capable my daughter is," Akifumi shifted his crossed hands from his lap to the table. "How are you to prove that _you're_ worthy of _her_?"

"Father-"

"There are plenty of suitors lined up for someone like Momo, I'm sure you're aware. Why should we allow someone like you to be with her? Compared to the other gentlemen we have lined up, you're… well."

"Father, that's so rude of you-"

"I'm in love with her."

Momo blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I, Bakugou Katsuki, am in love with your daughter. I believe that makes me more qualified than any of my competitors on how much we would value her alone." He grinned, some of his cockiness showing through. "Besides, while I don't come from a super fancy family with a lot of money, I'm going to be the number one hero one day. I won't settle for anything less. I admire Momo as both a woman and as a hero. None of these other schmucks will make her happy like I can."

Akifumi looked contemplative while his wife was practically glowing with glee. He offered his partner a cautious glance and felt his heart skip a beat with the look of wonder he received from Momo. He… wasn't sure how much of that was a grandiose display of acting and how much of that came from a deep part within him. He wasn't compared to come to terms with any of that quite yet.

Fighting a strong blush, he turned back to Momo's parents. "And if you don't like that, then you can deal with it. I don't like sharing, so she's mine."

For the first time since arriving, Momo's father smiled. He smirked, seemingly pleased. "Alright, son. You pass."

"Oh good!" Hanae cheered. It seemed she was just happy with the entire situation from start to finish. "Oh, Katsuki!" He jolted somewhat at being addressed so directly. "You must come to an event we're holding later this month!"

"Mother…"

"It'll be a good opportunity, Momo!" she chided. "The gala will be a perfect place to show off your new beau! Oh dear, I'll have to contact all the previous suitors about this… Oh well!"

A teeny tiny fraction of Katsuki felt bad that a bunch of guys were going to be rejected by the end of the day by this new, fake relationship. But a huge part of him was thrilled that they succeeded and that Momo wouldn't be pressured anymore to get married to some random fucker.

"Of course we'd love to attend, Hanae," he shook his head at Momo's displeased expression. _Later._ And she nodded.

"Perfect! We'll arrange for transportation and attire, so don't even worry about it! We're so happy to welcome you into the family!"

 _Glad to know my old folks aren't the only ones too eager for us to get married…_

"Ah!" Hanae looked like she just realized something. "I would love to meet with your parents as well, Katsuki!" Ah. Yeah…

"You're right. We'll be sure to arrange something with them, then," Akifumi relented, curious to see where his daughter's new boyfriend came from. "Perhaps lunch sometime soon?"

"Certainly…" And there went Katsuki's hopes of keeping his parents entirely out of the situation. He'd have to have a strong, firm talk with them about how _fake_ this relationship was supposed to be. Knowing them they'd be too on board with the prospect of marrying off their son, especially after having met Momo. She was irresistible and was perfect daughter-in-law material. If Mitsuki and Hanae got anywhere near each other… Katsuki feared the outcome.

After the initial tension was cleared, the afternoon with the Yaoyorozu's was rather peaceful. They asked questions and he answered as best he could - as properly as he could. He was rather proud of himself for not having cussed out either of them. Especially when the conversation turned towards Momo's own hero work.

"You must agree, Mr. Bakugou," Akifumi had been saying. "A young woman as a working hero is much too dangerous. It would be better for her to settle down in order to care for the home and children, as it were."

Hanae nodded along. "He's right, dear," she turned to her daughter, as if giving the young woman some sort of sage advice. "I'm sure Katsuki would prefer you staying at home and making sure dinner is prepared for him."

Katsuki felt his eye twitch. It felt like these two were trying to advertise some sort of servant to them, not their daughter's hand in marriage! He huffed and tried to keep the familiar, heavy scowl from his face.

"I definitely don't want that."

"Huh?" Both Momo's parents looked confused. "Whatever do you mean?"

Katsuki shook his head and let out a breath of air. "She's a great hero. I'm not tryin' to take that away from her. She's worked hard as hell to achieve her goals. Momo will never have to give up on her dreams to be with me. She shouldn't have to do that to be with anyone. Respectfully speaking," he added, seeing their incredulous looks. "I want Momo to be happy."

"Being a hero makes me very happy…" Momo said in a quiet voice, while giving Katsuki a warm smile that made his stomach tie itself in knots. "Thank you, Katsuki."

The older Yaoyorozu couple exchanged a sort of heavy, meaningful glance before returning to the conversation. After several hours, the two were seen off and driven back to UA with Katsuki ripping off his neck tie the moment the door to the limousine closed shut behind them.

Itsuki had already eaten dinner by the time the two of them returned home to the dorms. It seemed that he was being kept busy, at the current moment, by board games with Midoriya, Kirishima, and a couple of the others. Tsuyu waved languidly as they entered.

"Hey, you two. How did things go?"

"Good!" Momo answered, cheerful, as Katsuki sauntered past to try and join in on the game of Monopoly going on. She - and everyone else in the room - knew that wouldn't end very well. "Everything's going well, but they still haven't found Itsuki's records."

They hadn't told their friends or even Itsuki about their fake dating scheme. Katsuki had been avidly against it, not wanting to deal with even _more_ teasing than the two already got from spending so much time together as of recently. And Momo had to agree; the girls had been increasingly aggressive with their questioning on Momo's relationship status.

The rest of them all thought that they were going to meet with some of the officials about Itsuki's status. Which they'd been keeping up with, of course, but was a suitable excuse for the occasion. They explained the fancy attire in that they decided to meet at a restaurant instead of the usual office this time around.

Momo felt somewhat bad lying to her friends and family like this, but she felt it a necessary evil. If it could even be considered that.

Itsuki jumped up and darted towards her with a cry of, " _Mama!_ " as the boy seemed to just notice the arrival of his caretakers. He threw himself at her, wrapping arms around her waist.

"Hello, Itsuki. Did you have a fun evening?"

"Yeah!" He grinned up at her, ear to ear. "It was so fun! Uncle Denki showed me video games and Uncle Deku brought out this fun board game! I don't know why they call it that because I'm not bored at all!"

Momo fought back a laugh at that. "I have to agree. They're rather fun."

"Is it bedtime?"

"It certainly can be," Momo suddenly felt very tired.

Itsuki nodded. "Okay. It's late and I'm sleepy, so let's get papa and go to bed."

"Sounds like a plan, little man." She received another smile at the fun little rhyme as she gathered herself to head to her room. Katsuki grumbled but followed after, bidding the others a good night.

When they got up to her room, they quickly went into their nightly rituals and got Itsuki into bed quickly. They both decided that, despite having so much tea time earlier, it would be best for them to at least partake in their nightly discussions.

"Momo…"

"Katsuki," she interrupted, out of character. "Thank you for today. I…" she blinked in surprise at the sudden swell in emotion she felt in her chest. "I'm very grateful."

"Nah, Ponytail," he waved her off lightly. "It wasn't much… your parents are possessive people, though, huh?"

She tilted her thought, rolling the thought around in her head. "Not quite possessive… but certainly old fashioned and overprotective. But I didn't mean getting them off of my back; though I am grateful for that as well."

He quirked a brow at her, signaling for her to elaborate.

"I… Appreciate your praise, from before. I didn't know you thought about me that way. Forgive me if it was all part of the act-"

"I think the world of you."

She felt her cheeks flare with a sudden heat that spread through her entire face and neck. If the coloring mirrored on Katsuki's face was any inclination, it was fair to say he was just as embarrassed.

"Don't go overthinking shit, alright? You're a badass hero and you've become a good friend of mine. I don't let people push around or talk shit on my friends, alright?"

Then, suddenly, the warmth left. That reminded her of another conversation they'd never gotten around to having.

"Katsuki… what did your mother mean by… not letting Itsuki bully other children?"


	8. Chapter 8

Momo had always known something was wrong with Katsuki and Midoriya. The two of them were always at odds and the air seemed to change once the two of them were in the same room. Some sort of deep set grudge or rivalry.

Momo was an observant young woman. Overly so. She wasn't dumb enough to ignore the way Midoriya flinched when Katsuki walked by him. The way he tried to sink in on himself, trying desperately to become smaller in the explosive young man's presence. How he stuttered and choked on his words when he tried to talk to him.

She knew something was wrong. But knew better than to pry. Not that it wasn't her concern - she considered both young men to be her friends after spending three years together at UA in their Class A. Momo never thought to make it her business. She had always figured the two just rubbed each other the wrong way and never could find a way to get along and she let it be.

Finding out that Bakugou Katsuki, the person she was raising her son with, was a bully was something that chilled her to her core and lit her blood on fire. The person she'd been having such deep discussions with. The person she'd been relying so heavily on. The one she'd been looking up to for all these years. The person she was starting to feel for…

A dirty, rotten bully who had never once apologized.

"Bakugou Katsuki, I'm so utterly disappointed with you," she growled out uncharacteristically, gnashing her teeth in disgust. "I want - no. I _need_ you to think about everything that you just told me and I need you to work on that. Don't come near me or Itsuki until you've… done something about this. I don't even know what to do with myself right now."

Her heart felt like it was being gripped roughly and squeezed, as if to kill her. As if to torture her and make her beg for death.

"Momo…"

"No."

"Momo, please-" she saw such utter, raw emotion in Katsuki's eyes as he _begged_ her to listen to her. On his knees, angry tears in his eyes, praying to her to not leave. To not walk away from him. To not leave him alone with his thoughts in this long, dark hallway.

She couldn't comply with these wishes.

It would hurt too much to be with him right now.

Before she could storm away from him, she felt a strong grip on her wrist, tugging her roughly towards him. He twirled her in his arms and pressed her against him.

"Mo, I'm sorry…"

She paused. "I'm not the one who needs to be apologized to, Katsuki, and I know you know that."

"You're… you're probably right-"

"Definitely right."

"Yeah… you're right. For some reason you always are… But I'm still sorry to you too. I… didn't want to deal with it and that's cowardly of me. It's wimpy as fuck. But… I wanted to move away from it and not keep looking back on that. It was wrong of me and I'm sorry to have dragged you into it. You don't deserve that. You… you and Itsuki deserve better than-"

"You don't get to tell me what I do and don't deserve, Katsuki," she cut him off in that infuriatingly dignified way of hers. "I won't tell you what to do, but things need to be made right somehow. You need to make things right and I just can't do that for you."

"I know."

"I can help you… But you need to want to."

He choked back a sob. "I know… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." And he trembled as he held her - clutched at her, as though for dear life. As if she was the only thing keeping him rooted in that very moment. And she reached her arms out - slimmer and lean - to return his embrace. She would hold him and comfort him. But she wouldn't let something like this pass untreated.

Momo never once thought she'd see so many sides of Bakugou Katsuki as she had in the half a year they'd had Itsuki. Never thought she'd be allowed to see him so soft and vulnerable. Never thought _once_ someone like him would be begging for her forgiveness and wanting to desperately to change to make things work.

She knew a part of it was for his own personal growth, but she also was painfully aware at how much he wanted to please her and keep her with him. Keep her close. She knew… and yet, as he stared into her eyes… she wouldn't let thoughts of kissing him plague this moment.

Mentally slapping herself on the wrist, she couldn't believe she'd just been thinking about kissing Katsuki in such a vulnerable moment! How awful…

"Go to bed, Katsuki… rest on it. But we need to make progress, please?"

"Yeah… I'm sorry, Mo," he nearly whimpered and her heart broke into pieces and melted for him. God how he could make her feel so many things in the span of twenty minutes.

From that point on, Momo could tell he was trying harder. He refused to be rude to Midoriya. He stopped calling him Deku, which was strange since that was the only thing he'd ever called him since they were children.

Momo didn't know what happened, but the two had apparently been talking deeply about what had transpired in their past. Katsuki reported to her almost nightly about how things were going. How the two of them had begun training and were playing soccer, together, with Itsuki.

Itsuki was thrilled with his papa's newfound acceptance of Uncle Deku's presence in their lives. The young boy had gotten rather attached to their friends and Momo was glad to see the positive impacts on not just Katsuki and Midoriya's lives, but on the others as well.

And, somehow… Katsuki only grew kinder… more comfortable with her. He would catch her by the small of her back as she was about to fall backwards from a step stool and would simply pat her hair in response to her apologies. He would stare at her during their discussions, late at night, when he thought she wasn't looking. Momo noticed.

The way he would look at her lips and lick his own subconsciously before looking away. The way he would hold her hands gently as he showed her how to do certain tasks she wasn't familiar with due to her upbringing. How he would gently place his hand on her knee to steady himself as he got up from his spot next to her on the sofa.

It was too… domestic. Too saccharine. Momo didn't know what to do with herself…

Katsuki was having similar problems of his own. He felt sick. Going to Kirishima, he confided in his first real friend.

"I just… don't know what's going on. I feel… weird when she's around, man." Katsuki ran a hand aggressively through his already messy hair, attempting to calm himself. "She smiles and my gut feels like I got punched. I don't know what's going on, Kirishima."

"You're in love with her, dude," Kirishima said.

"Excuse me?"

His self proclaimed best friend of three years stared him dead in the eye, looking more serious than he'd ever seen him. "You're in love with Yaoyorozu and you're letting it rip you apart. You're being an idiot, man."

Katsuki felt enraged. "I don't love her! Are you insane?"

"You don't? Then I'm good to go after her, then?"

Katsuki's blood ran cold. "What the fuck did you just say to me?"

Kirishima's eyes narrowed at him in disdain. "You just said you don't love Yaomomo. So then one of us should be fine to take her? If you're not dating her, you don't get to puppy guard her from the rest of us, you know. All of us are definitely noticing how adorable being a mom is making her. Don't blow your fucking shot, Bakugou. Someone will take advantage of your hesitation and it'll be the worst thing you'll ever have to regret."

"... You're a dick."

"And you're a moron." Kirishima smiled. "But that's fine. I'm being serious, man. You need to figure out whatever's going on in that spiky head of yours." Frowning, he continued, "Dancing around the issue and not making a decision is really unmanly."

"Yeah yeah… ok."

Kirishima clapped him on the back. "I'm proud of you, bro. I support the two of you with all my heart. She's a good girl, man. She'll be good for you."

"... she really is something, isn't she?"

Kirishima suddenly grinned at him. "Have you kissed her yet?"

"Wha-!?" Katsuki squawked. "The fuck do you think-"

"Whoah! I'll take _that_ as a no. Dude… it's so obvious she's into you too. How the hell have you not kissed someone with a face like that? You're only literally raising a kid together, too."

"Ugh! Shut up! You're a dumbass, I should've gone to _Kaminari_ and that's fucking saying something you pleb!"

The grin Kirishima gave him was purely devilish as he said, "Whatever makes you feel better, _daddy_!"

"AAAAAARRRRGGGHH!"


	9. Chapter 9

Plastic people in silks and rich colors paraded around the ballroom, some dancing, some mingling and conversing. Momo hated it. She'd been brought up in this environment since she was very little and she still couldn't stand it. Always had she felt she just didn't fit in with this sort of crowd; with these sort of people.

She'd always fit in more with her classmates at UA, she felt. Sure, Momo always knew that she was the "rich kid" of the bunch. She, Todoroki, and Iida were sort of outlandish and not entirely relatable to the rest of their classmates. But she found a harmony with her friends and their shared ambitions in being great heroes.

 _These_ people however… they were ambitious, alright. Most of them were cutthroat and cruel, ready to betray anyone or do anything if it meant getting an advantage in a business deal or improving their company's standing in any way, shape, or form.

After several months, it was finally time for her parents' gala they'd exuberantly invited the two to attend during their first meeting with Katsuki.

It was at this event, this gala, that her parents felt it appropriate to test her relationship with Katsuki. Her mother's sixth sense must have let her in on the two of them not being quite as legit as Momo promised her, despite their monthly tea sessions to _check up_ on the two of them. Thus, she began introducing her to possible suitors - though not as such - who had ties with powerful companies and agencies.

Momo knew what her mother was doing; she was setting it up so that they would still have a fall back plan for if - when - she and Katsuki "broke up". She was appalled with her mother's insinuations and wanted nothing more than to find Katsuki and go home.

Unfortunately, she found herself stood in front of just another snobby heir her age, tittering about how well his company's profits were doing that year and the successes they were sure to look forward to following. Never once asking about her. Only every speaking of himself. Not even bothering to ask her favorite color or favorite food. Not once asking if she believed in aliens.

She felt him before she saw him.

Katsuki's rage was rather… explosive, after all. She felt the heat of his anger as he stormed over to the two of them, expression fierce and determined.

The rather pitiful fellow Momo had found herself in the company of nearly soiled himself as her sparking fake suitor approached, hands literally lighting up in his haste to join them. Katsuki wrapped an arm around Momo's shoulders, oddly possessive, as he stared the heir down.

"The fuck do you think you're doing, standing here chatting up my girl?"

"Y-your girl?"

"Yeah. That's what I just said. Your ears just as clogged as your brain?"

The timid looking man gave Katsuki a rather disapproving glance. "I have to disagree… Lady Yaoyorozu heavily implied a possible marriage contract between myself and her daughter. She wouldn't do such a thing should Miss Momo had been in an established relationship, Mr…?"

"Mr. None of your goddamn business! You think Momo and I aren't dating? Huh?" This was bad. Momo could tell that Katsuki - despite their relationship indeed being fake - felt himself being challenged. And that was never a good thing. "I'll show you dating! You asshole!"

And like that, Momo felt herself dipped in Katsuki's arms, a firm pressure on her lips, as Katsuki kissed her in front of everyone at her mother's party. All was quiet for several pauses before she heard gasps of shock and she felt her face heat with both embarrassment and rage.

He pulled back from her, a stunned expression on his face. She couldn't see the other suitor - not that she wanted to - and could only see Katsuki. She felt something stir in her that only Katsuki could invoke from her. Blind rage.

A resounding "CLAP" could be heard as her hand streaked across Katsuki's left cheek, forcing him to release her. She stalked away from him, absolutely fuming.

He caught up to her in the yard, as she was already arranging a cab to pick her up to take her back to campus, mind swirling and spinning at what had just happened.

"Bakugou Katsuki!" Momo raged. "You're… despicable! Just, aagh-!" she cut herself off, her own frustration taking over. "How could you do that-"

"Because you're _my_ woman, alright!?"

She startled at his sudden enraged cry. She was _what_ now?

"I'm sorry?"

Katsuki's eyes were narrowed, a signature glare strongly present on his sharp features. His spiked hair almost sparked with anger. It was a very familiar sight… save for the bright red blush beginning to blotch around his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

"You…" he rand a hand through his hair, frustrated. _Kirishima give me strength!_ "Damn it, Momo." Her heart caught at the raw emotion in his sudden use of her name. "I… I'm not good with any of this 'romance' or 'subtlety' shit, alright? You and I… have something good going on. At least I think so. I want this. I want _you_."

Momo found herself nodding, despite feeling as stunned as she was. She and Katsuki weren't… together. They had begun settling into a comfortable friendship… but that wasn't quite right either. It had morphed since they began their "fake dating" plot and became something newer. Something stronger. A realization dawned on her. That strange feeling that had begun haunting her was the feeling of lingering between companionship and… something just a little bit more.

Just a tiny taste of love.

"... Katsuki," she murmured, stepping towards him. "You're an ass."

He brought her into his arms. Her heart fluttered at the tiny trace of an amused smile. "I know."

"I'm not going to forgive you," she whispered, breath mingling with his.

"I know," he closed the gap, bringing their lips together. Deep and saccharine, they kissed chastely yet lovingly. As though to convey what they'd each been hiding for some time. To make up for time lost to appearances and hiding.

They parted, heated breath visible in the chill of the night. Katsuki pulled her back in, just as quickly, not wanting to relinquish this sudden feeling of being whole.

"Katsuki," she whispered, nestling into the crook of his neck. "What do we do now?"

His arms, stronger than she remembered, wrapped around her waist and settled against the small of her back. "I'll protect you." She swatted his shoulder. "Not that you need it," he corrected. "But I'll be there for you. I don't give a shit if your old man or your mom approve of me. You're mine. I'm yours. That's it. You, me, and Itsuki. That's all I need."

"I'm sure your mother and father will want to be a part of our lives, too."

"Yeah, that old hag would kill me if I didn't invite her to the wedding."

Momo's heart jolted.

"W-wedding?"

"Yeah," he didn't stutter, didn't falter. His expression was dead serious. "I'm going to marry you. Your mom isn't going to force some random jackass on you if the two of us are 'courting' or whatever the hell you call it. You're the girl I'm going to marry. That's that. Fuck this fake relationship we've been fooling around with; I want to do it for real this time."

She melted, tears pooling in her eyes. "You're deplorable, Bakugou Katsuki."

"I'm a fucking delight."

Her parents were both concerned yet agreeable with their request to depart early that evening, certainly no longer in the mood to be in attendance to such a pompous affair. Besides, they both felt a sudden need to be home with their son. It had been nearly a year since they brought him under their care, and they couldn't see him as anything but.

The little tyke was already sound asleep in Momo's room by the time they arrived home, Mina and Jirou having been watching over him in their absence.

They offered him a kiss on the forehead that he didn't awake to and they bid each other farewell for the evening with featherlight goodnight kisses that they needed to force themselves to stop. A promise for more later… Each separated and went back to their own beds for the evening, fighting the giddiness that this new development brought them.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Epilogue

Momo's twenties were unlike many people's young adult beginnings. Adopting her son and getting married right after highschool came as a shock to many. Yaoyorozu Momo, that really put together rich girl? Many believed she'd put her career on the shelf while she got Itsuki's life with her and her husband together. This was far from the truth.

Creati was a huge success, having worked at many Hero agencies doing field work and missions before settling in and being able to create her own agency with her own sidekicks! She'd even begun apprenticing and interning several students of her previous school. As an alumni of UA she was more than pleased to further their educations, after all.

Katsuki and her were #2 and #4 hero respectively. He certainly got her beat when it came to applicable hero work, and he was definitely popular with fans giving him that extra boost. But they were both within the top 5 and couldn't be prouder of each other.

Many people questioned Katsuki's decision to leave Best Jeanist's hero agency in order to join Creati's. After all, he was the higher ranking hero, wasn't he? Didn't matter. He knew Momo was extremely capable and that he and plenty of other heroes would be in good hands with her in charge.

Besides, this gave the young couple excuses to be near each other and to spend more time with each other on a day to day basis. Their classmates, after their initial getting together, had been overjoyed and thrilled with the development only to find that the two were lovey dovey and saccharine sweet. Not that any of them minded _too_ much, as the two of them had immense self control when they needed to.

Upon first graduating, the two had managed to enlist Aizawa's help in advocating their official and permanent adoption of Itsuki. The offices had never found his birth family and no one had ever come looking for the young boy. Thus, his only other option was foster care, and Momo and Katsuki were not about to let the young boy ever go through that.

They continued helping him further his education and train his newly developing quirk. They found out that it was a booster quirk, which made him excellent for support. Not that they'd ever encourage bringing the boy on the battlefield, but his young dream of becoming a hero hadn't quite dampened… If anything, having two parents in the Top Ten only made one want to be a better hero.

Itsuki was overjoyed when his parents announced they were getting married for real and that they were going to be a family forever. He'd never wanted to think about any other possibilities, and he was so glad he'd never have to face that. Katsuki and Momo couldn't help but let tears of their own out as the young boy sobbed with happiness at the aspect of officially taking the Bakugou-Yaoyorozu names. The three cried together at the prospect of finally being an official family after carrying on so long the way they had been.

Being married with a seven year old child right out of high school was difficult, needless to say. Katsuki and Momo had much help from both sides of their family; the Yaoyorozu's making sure they'd never have to scrape by, at least. They'd been somewhat cautious about the young child originally but quickly warmed to the prospect of having a grandson.

Katsuki's own parents were thrilled with the announcement of the relationship and the marriage. Hanae and Mitsuki quickly became best of friends, closer than Katsuki had even imagined possible. As if they were meant to be in-laws by fate or destiny or whatever it was.

They waited until they were 23 to try for their second child. Itsuki was 11, about to turn 12 by that point and was already vastly more mature and educated than when they first encountered him. He was a great help throughout Momo's pregnancy and buzzed with excitement whenever his new little brother or sister got mentioned.

Little Mirai was born and the young Bakugou-Yaoyorozu's never felt more blessed. Katsuki had fallen in love a third time - once after meeting Itsuki and after realizing his feelings for his wife - as he stared into the soft blue eyes of his baby. They were bound to shift into a light brown color as she grew out of being newborn, but she had a shock of light blonde hair. He and his friends were certain her first word would be "fuck". There was a bet pool going around too…

Despite certain worries about her… father's particular use of language, she was a perfect little baby and Itsuki was a god send. Momo didn't think they needed more than two, and Katsuki couldn't agree with his wife more. Itsuki would come home from school and relinquish all of Momo's motherly duties onto himself until his father got home from evening patrols.

Hero maternal leaves were an intensive occasion and Momo found herself itching for the action again. She went right back into office work in managing her agency, and it was rather amusing watching Yaoyorozu Momo walking about the office barking orders with a baby sling across her front and a blonde baby girl babbling incoherently, as if to mimic her mother.

Katsuki's relationship with Midoriya got even better, and Uncle Deku and Uncle Eiji had very strong presences in the lives of both children. With Midoriya teaching at UA now, he informed them that the school was keeping a very firm eye on Itsuki's progress and felt confident that the boy could get in on recommendation, just like his mother. He'd even confided in Katsuki that he felt Itsuki could possibly be a good apprentice and successor for One for All some day with the immense amount of control the young boy was able to obtain over his quirk. And while this made the two young parents somewhat nervous, they knew not to worry.

Katsuki and Momo had very different ideas of what a family could be, when they were younger. What a family was supposed to be. But, now, cuddled up on the couch with his beautiful wife wrapped in one arm, an energetic, bright almost middle schooler son on the other arm, and their little girl across their laps… this is what family was. This was home.


End file.
